Where can you get light lunch?

Egg and chips, quiche and other lunchtime classics are disappearing from cafe menus. But the over-50’s are biting back, says Elizabeth Joyce.

Renowned for its afternoon teas and traditional favourites, Beatties’ restaurant was once a haven for ladies who lunch and weary shoppers looking to recharge their batteries.

But since its transformation into Cafe Zest, gone are dishes such as the humble jacket potato and in their place cod-and-pancetta fishcakes, melted brie sandwiches with blueberry marmalade and croque monsieur.

The new menu has seen more traditional customers vote with their feet and head for more traditional city cafes including Druckers, BHS and Marks & Spencer.

Disgruntled diner , aged 63, used to visit the restaurant with her 78-year-old friend Roma Osbourne every Friday. Together, the pair used to enjoy bacon and eggs, quiche and other classics.

But today, Margaret, of Firsvale Road, Wednesfield, described the new menu as “pretentious” and said she and Roma had turned their backs on the weekly visit.

“It’s such a shame that we have lost our little ritual,” she said. “When the representative visited in October to introduce the new menu, she came and spoke to all the regulars and asked our opinion.

“I told her to take a look around, almost all the customers had white hair. A traditional roast with all the trimmings and jacket potatoes, both of which have been taken off the menu, are the order of the day for our age group - not the likes of chicken and avocado on a brioche baguette with lime aioli.”

Mrs O’Callaghan said the decision to scrap the waitress service had also angered patrons, many of whom are now looking for new sanctuaries around the city. BHS, Druckers and Marks & Spencer said they had all noticed a boost in trade since the change to Cafe Zest.

The bustling restaurant at BHS is dotted with posters proudly promoting “British Classics” for around a fiver. Customers can tuck into roast dinners, cottage pies, English breakfasts and the store’s most-popular dish fish and chips.

Margaret said: “BHS is now the best place in Wolverhampton for food, I really like the store’s ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ attitude.”

Manager Cath Cottis added: “We have noticed a rise in custom recently, although we’ve always been busy. The customers are constantly praising our service, food and atmosphere.”

Druckers, with its jacket potatoes, simple sandwiches and cakes, is also experiencing a boom in trade.

Assistant manager Joy Bennett said: “At first we didn’t understand why we were getting so busy, but then we started to hear the customers talking about the new menu at Beatties.”

Andy Kyte, who has been manager at Marks & Spencer for a year, said his Cafe Revive offered hot drinks and classic cakes and snacks. It also sells sandwiches, salads, wraps and muffins. He said: “I have noticed a pick up in trade since the changes at Beatties.”

Margaret added: “Druckers and Marks are lovely places to come for a quiet cup of coffee or a cake, they both offer what people want.

“I think they are stripping the soul from Beatties and should just get it over and done with and change its name to House Of Fraser. People are not happy.”

No-one from House Of Fraser was available for comment today. Its Cafe Zest cafe still offers afternoon tea for £6.95, home-baked scones for £3.95 and soup of the day for £3.95.